Trump discussed the idea with aides and Republican officials outside the White House in recent days, NBC News reported Friday, citing two US officials, a former US official and a person with knowledge of the conversations .
The discussions have focused on a small contingent of troops for specific strategic operations rather than a large-scale invasion, the sources said. Trump has also outlined ideas for post-war Iran, including securing the country's uranium and establishing a new government that would cooperate with the United States on oil production .
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the report, saying it relies on anonymous sources outside the president's national security team.
"This story is based on assumptions from anonymous sources who are not part of the president's national security team and are clearly not read into these discussions," Leavitt said in a statement .
"President Trump always wisely keeps all options open, but anyone trying to insinuate he is in favor of one option or another proves they have no real seat at the table," she added .
Leavitt said earlier this week that deploying US troops to Iran is not currently part of the administration's military strategy .
The discussions come as US and Israeli forces continue strikes against Iran that began Feb. 28. The operation, called Operation Epic Fury, killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and multiple senior military commanders .
Trump has not ruled out ground troops in public comments since the operation began.
"I don't have the yips with respect to boots on the ground," Trump told the New York Post this week, using a golf term for anxiety. "Every president says, 'There will be no boots on the ground.' I don't say it" .
Trump said he expects the operation to last four to five weeks but added that the US has "capability to go far longer than that" .
The president has listed four objectives for the campaign: destroying Iran's missile capabilities, eliminating its navy, preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and stopping Tehran from arming and funding militant groups abroad .
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week that deploying troops inside Iran has not been ruled out.
"We'll go as far as we need to go," Hegseth told reporters .
Hegseth emphasized that the operation is not aimed at nation-building or democracy promotion. "No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise," he said Monday .
US forces have struck more than 2,000 targets inside Iran, according to the White House . US Central Command said Friday that 43 Iranian ships have been damaged or destroyed .
Six US service members have been killed and 18 wounded in Iranian counterattacks since the fighting began, the Pentagon said . Iran has launched missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US assets across the Gulf region .
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that his country is prepared for the possibility of a US ground invasion.
"We are waiting for them," Araghchi told NBC News. "We are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them" .
Araghchi said Iran has prepared for multiple scenarios and is not requesting a ceasefire .
Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said earlier this week that US troops on the ground in Iran may be unavoidable, even as he hopes it proves unnecessary .
The discussions about potential ground forces come as some members of Congress question the administration's rationale for the operation. Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said he has heard multiple stated reasons for the attack and demanded that Trump make his case to Congress and the American public .
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the operation after a classified briefing Monday, saying Trump determined that Iran posed a threat to US personnel and assets .
The administration plans to seek supplemental funds from Congress to support the military effort, lawmakers said .